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Many of you can probably remember when Volkswagen was known more for making small, cheap, ubiquitous cars with character, known as the Beetle, than they were for a diesel emissions controversy. Last Saturday, I was able to travel back to those good old days at the Florida Bug Jam, a family-friendly judged classic Volkswagen car show with a poker run and some dirt track hooning. I don’t think I spotted a single water-cooled VW while I was there, besides the one that I arrived in. (more…)

When it came to light last Friday that Volkswagen had been circumventing U.S. environmental standards through a software cheat, I didn’t really think there was much of a story there for me to cover. HoonArt tends to focus on sports cars and issues related to them, which doesn’t typically have much to do with emissions control or fuel economy. Despite living in a state that hasn’t tested emissions since the ’90s, I keep my vehicles emissions compliant, but that’s usually about as far as it goes. That was, until I started thinking about what the potential fines could mean for Volkswagen… (more…)

Often when you attend a major race, such as the 12 Hours of Sebring, there is just as much to see off the track as there is on it. There were rare models cruising the grounds and parking areas of Sebring, devoted entirely to notable makes and models, such as Porsche, Corvette, Audi, and BMW. Each of them had their outstanding examples.

As a follow up to last week’s 12 Hours of Sebring post, I bring you a second piece, this time with the vehicles I saw in traffic as well as what was parked and on display. (more…)

Today we’re taking a look at what’s going on in the left coast. More importantly, what’s going on in the Euro car scene in Southern California. Big SoCal Euro Gathering is such a huge gathering of European cars that it makes ripples cross-country. Many people travel from all over to attend this event.

SoCal Euro is a gathering that started with humble beginnings in a small parking lot. It’s a show that was started by the people and still remains “by the people, for the people” to this day. In 2013, SoCal Euro saw it’s biggest showing yet with a gathering of easily more than 3,000 cars. Porsches, Volkswagens, Audis, BMWs, Mercedes, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martin, and more… However, the show still remains focused on the grassroots car enthusiast. The enthusiasts come first as they are the ones that support the show. Otherwise the vendors would not even be there. (more…)

One of my favorite local speed shops, S&R Performance, merged with Vortex Motorsport recently and on Saturday night my wife and I attended the massive grand opening of their new shop, VSR Motorsports. (more…)

I’ve been seeing this old Volkswagen Beetle for a while in a garage on the USF campus, and since university is in sort of a slow part of the year with fewer cars around to get in the way, I decided to go take some quick photos. (more…)